How was America discovered?
It is a fact that America was discovered by chance. Was it destiny? The truth is that luck was determined by Christopher Columbus, navigator, scientist, visionary and protester. Columbus believed that the Earth was round, an absurd principle for his time, the 15th century.
Columbus prepared the caravels Santa Maria, Pinta and Nina. The travel plan and preparation of the crew, in addition to equipping the vessels, took 6 years.
The departure towards the Indies took place on August 3, 1492, in Porto dos Palos, Spain. Columbus took with him 190 men willing to explore the world. A competitor of Spain, Portugal also explored the world by sea.
The Crew's Revolt
Willing to find new lands, Columbus had to contain the fury of the crew who were revolting against him and the lack of results from the long crossing. The objective would be achieved exactly on October 12, 1492.
One of the caravels, the Pinta, fired a cannonball, a code agreed to signal the meeting of virgin lands. Soon the vessels docked on the island of São Salvador, the name given by Columbus to the place.
After a while, the honor of the discovered lands was assigned to Florentino Américo Vespúcio, a friend and travel companion of Columbus. That's why our continent is called America.
Confused by where he was, the inhabitants of the new place were nicknamed Indians, as Columbus believed he was in the Indies. On the way back, the caravels of his command still came across the territory that today corresponds to Haiti and Cuba.
When the crew arrived in Spain they were received with royal honors and glories.
